Which to use
“prinzipiell” is an adjective and “Prinzipien” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,707
- “prinzipiell” frequency rank
- #6,708
- “Prinzipien” frequency rank
- 13415
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prinzipiell | Prinzipien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf der Grundlage eines Prinzips | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Prinzip |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set prinzipiell and Prinzipien apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: prinzipiell is [pʁɪnt͡siˈpi̯ɛl] while Prinzipien is [pʁɪnˈt͡siːpi̯ən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13415, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prinzipiell is recorded at frequency rank #6,707, classified as anadj, pronounced [pʁɪnt͡siˈpi̯ɛl]. Prinzipien is at rank #6,708, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pʁɪnˈt͡siːpi̯ən].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 13415, this pair ranks #1,958,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prinzipiell vs Prinzipien
Shared letters: einprz. Private to "prinzipiell": l. Private to "Prinzipien": -.
"prinzipiell" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCVCVVCC · "Prinzipien" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- prinzipiell ← pirnzipiell · pprinzipiell · prinizpiell · prinnzipiell · prinziipell · prinzipeill · prinzipiel · prinzipilel
- Prinzipien ← pirnzipien · pprinzipien · prinizpien · prinnzipien · prinziipen · prinzipein · prinzipienn · prinzipine
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "prinzipiell" and "Prinzipien" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "prinzipiell" or "Prinzipien"?
Remembering prinzipiell vs Prinzipien
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “prinzipiell”; for a noun, it's “Prinzipien”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “prinzipiell” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable